UNM Rainforest Innovations

From April to December 2022, the New Mexico Rainforest, a U.S. Economic Development Administration University Center, held 21 mentoring office hour sessions with the various University Center (UC) mentors and hosted eight webinars on a variety of entrepreneurial topics.

Recordings of the training webinars and corresponding handouts are available online at: http://loborainforest.com/nmrainforest/videos/ . Each webinar has a related quiz that allows you to earn your way to an Entrepreneurial Capabilities Certificate.

The eight webinars include:

“Product Development & Management” presented by Michael Hay, Vice President of Products, Life Sciences, Teradata  – Learn how to produce defensible evidence-based roadmaps  & create a strategy that will produce paybacks well beyond an intended use.

“So You Want to Start a Start-up” presented by Susan Cornelius, Principal, Accelerate2Solutions – A successful pitch has to sell. To do that, it needs to engage and surprise the audience you’re pitching to.

“How a Strong Brand Builds Value” presented by Seth Gardenswartz, Partner at Blackgarden Law – This program covers the basics of brand value and strategy to help creatives and businesses build strong and lasting IP assets.

“Common Digital Asset Business Risks” presented by Dr. Joseph Pitluck, CEO, FreeRange Financial – Learn about the digital asset industry and the unique risks and challenges faced by businesses.

“B-Corps, Business with an Impact” presented by Drew Tulchin, President, New Mexico Angels, Inc – View this webinar to learn the basics of B-Corps and running a business with impact by Drew Tulchin, President of New Mexico Angels.

“Leadership with a Native American Focus” presented by Scott Tafoya, Founder, Truth Dancer Coaching – In this webinar, Scott explores the value of good leadership, what leadership truly is, and how to become a better leader.

Please email Matthew Salcido at msalcido@innovations.unm.edu to gain access to “Leadership with a Native American Focus”.

“Reach Customers Online with Google” presented by Jake Foreman, Program Director, New Mexico Community Capital – Learn how you can improve a website’s visibility with SEO, Google Business Profiles, Google Trends, Search Google Ads, and more.

Earn a certificate in Entrepreneurial Capabilities: http://loborainforest.com/nmrainforest/entrepreneurial-capabilities-certificate/

The following UC events are upcoming in the remainder of Q1:

  • February Mentoring for Entrepreneurs with Mytegia Lee, February 16th– Come to virtual 1:1 mentoring with Mytegia Lee where she will provide guidance, coaching, perspective, and connections to enhance entrepreneurship and connections to resources at UNM and in the community. There are many resources available to those who have ideas that they may want to turn into a business! Join Mytegia on Zoom and learn more about what is available and which connections are the best fit for you.
  • Public Speaking for Entrepreneurs , February 22nd presented by the New Mexico Toastmaster – Learn tips  and best practices for how to be an effective public speaker in this informative webinar presented by member from Toastmasters International.
  • Rainforest Mentor Office Hours: Access to Capital, February 17thpresented by Stacy Sacco, President of Sacco Connections – Schedule a half hour session for 1:1 coaching to discuss your finance needs and sources of investments including self-funding options, traditional and non-traditional funding sources, venture capital, loans, etc.
  • Navigating the Regulatory Process in Biotech, March 10th presented by Ruba Sawaya, Vice President Clinical Affairs at Enovis – Learn more about how to navigate the regulatory process for biotech and medical technologies in this presentation from industry veteran Ruba Sawaya.
  • Rainforest Mentor Office Hours with Stacy Sacco, March 17th– Come to 1:1 mentoring with Stacy Sacco where he will provide guidance, coaching, perspective, and connections to enhance entrepreneurship and connections to resources at UNM and in the community.

For more information about the NM Rainforest EDA University Center Program and other entrepreneurial resources, contact Matthew Salcido at msalcido@innovations.unm.edu.

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